Eternity (Holy Name)
God is eternal, this attribute is what fuels the Immortals whose capacity for eternity is very real. Immortals do not age beyond their thirties, or if they are already older, they regress back to that general age (some Immortals gain control over their physical appearance, but most remain in their thirties). Immortals tend to stick out in any generation, their mannerisms and behavior still harking back to bygone eras. Also, their penchant for a wide variety of knowledge certainly makes them appear separate and above the mortal masses. Immortal's strengths come in what they gain over time: after countless lifetimes, their experience, resources and assets often make them indispensable. As does their contacts. Immortals are very knowledgeable, and their information networks come to run deep. They invariable come to the foreground as intelligence officers in any Squad. Immortals are hard to kill - the only way to permanently kill one is to pierce their heart. Anything less, even decapitation, will not suffice - eventually it all comes back together again. Toxins, radiation, fire, whatever, it will only temporarily harm or incapacitate them. Only if the heart is somehow pierced or ruptured will their centuries of living finally come to an end. Aspect of God: Eternity AKA: the Undying, the Everliving. Facts: -The oldest of the Immortals, those several thousands of years old, either go to slumber deep within the earth or 'ascend' and leave this world for... somewhere else? -Immortals can enter a state of torpor called Dormition, allowing them to sleep for vast spans of time with no ill-effect. -Immortals greatest powers, besides immunity to death, is their intellects. Centuries of life have sharpened their wits and perceptions, allowing them to notice even the tiniest of details and extract tons of information from them. -The Antediluvians are said to be the oldest Immortals, and easily among the strongest beings on the planet. Luckily, they appear to be asleep deep within the forgotten places of the world. -Many Immortals come to work in the field of history, both as professors and as field-workers (see the Relic Hunters and Keepers of the Word down below). -The Deadening is what Immortals call the effects of the passage of time on their minds. Immortals must struggle to stay connected in an ever changing world of mortal things, else they begin to slowly lose their humanity and become little more than undying machines in human form. -Immortals are said to be among the last groups of Supernaturals to posses a working knowledge of Ruah, the very first human language. Said to be spoken by Adam and Eve, only the oldest members of the Order speak it fluently. Tricks: Tricks are not supernatural feats but levels of skill the Immortals can achieve after centuries of learning to master the human form. These Tricks are not included in the Immortal's Degrees because they are, essentially, entirely human feats of power. -Perfect sense of time and distance: the Immortal can just look and know the distance of a space, also he has a perfect sense of the passage of time. -Power of Foresight: the Immortal's mind can calculate his surroundings so superbly, he can practically know the future for up to five minutes. This 'power' does not predict perfectly, it is simply an act of almost computer like calculating on the brains part, seeing in its imagination how things will play out for the next few minutes. -Know the Group Mind: Immortal has a knack for judging the social situation upon entering it: whose in charge, the rivalries, enmities, alliances, tensions, etc. -Acute Memory: Character has perfect recall of facts, such as names, people, etc. He can recall the exact image of things he saw and take them apart, effectively studying them in his mind as if examining a photograph with his hands. An Immortal with this level of skill would be the Everliving equivalent of 3D image processor. -Kinesthetics: Character has perfect sense of his body, he can move and contort himself in ways no mortal could ever think too. -Mathamatical Memory: Immortal can recall numbers even from many years ago, license plate numbers, codes, lock numbers, even passing numbers such as serial numbers on trucks and grates, etc. With this skill worked out to its fullest, he can even pull apart pages of computer binary code and decipher it, all with but a passing inspection. -Heightened Perception: Immortal has phenomenal eyesight, he can notice small details others easily miss. He can pick out the fake rock with the key in it in the middle of a garden. He can pick out the single, exposed footprint while tracking in the middle of the Everglades, et cetera. -Perfect Pitch: Character's sense of noise and hearing is immaculate, he can detect even the slightest changes in pitch, sound or volume. While he is on the phone, he can tell what else is going on over the line just by the minor background noises. -Foretell Weather: Can sense minor changes in weather patterns that preclude larger changes, making it possible to judge the potential for storms, rain, clear skies, etc. For instance, he can feel a lessening of air pressure on his skin, so slight it would be imperceptible to others, thus informing him the pressure is dropping and a storm is forming. Chartreuse: Chartreuse is a wine that to mortals is just that-a wine. But to Immortals, it has healing properties, can reverse toxins, and reinvigorate even partially destroyed and desicated bodies! Its origins lie in the monks of the famous Clunaic Abbey in France. Over the centuries, Immortal monks in the abbey experimented with herbal remedies and Immortal physiology until they perfected the tonic currently known as Chartreuse. Chartreuse is very popular among the Order and rare is the Immortal who doesn't have a small cache of it somewhere. The recipe, known only to members and affiliates of the Order, is kept hidden in important abbeys in the old world and abroad. Factions: -Relic Hunters = Relic Hunters use their robust cadre of historical knowledge to hunt down objects of importance, both Relics to the Adepts as well as Dark Objects (to destroy them). Relic Hunters often work as investigators or archaeologists. Insurance claim investigation is, surprisingly, a popular role for them, since looking into museum pieces and artifacts owned by private millionaires easily brings one into contact with Relics. -Keepers of the Word = These Immortals tend to vast libraries, either theirs or others, believing that the past should not be forgotten. Major institutions with established libraries will probably have a few of these Immortals affiliated with them. -The Ghosts of Catholicism = This faction of Catholic Immortals are dedicated to protecting the faith of the Church of Rome and furthering its interests. -God in the Skull Faction = GITS is a truly strange and esoteric group of Immortals who dabble in 'forbidden theology,' whatever that is? They keep their meetings secret, which is exactly what you do if you want everyone else to imagine the most diabolical rituals being performed. Accordingly, other Adepts, even other Immortals, tend to look upon this Faction with a bit of suspicion. References: -http://abc.go.com/shows/forever -http://www.amazon.com/The-Legend-Wandering-George-Anderson/dp/0874515475 -http://www.christianbook.com/the-immortal-angela-hunt/9780849942181/pd/942187 -http://indianajones.wikia.com/wiki/Grail_Knight -http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/people/athanasius.htm -http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103442/